Final push for votes

The knife-edge Mayor of London election got under way today with the main candidates appealing to the public to use their all-important second preference votes.

With an Evening Standard poll showing Ken Livingstone and Steve Norris as neck and neck, Londoners were bombarded with phone calls, leaflets, emails and even personal visits in a last-ditch battle for every vote.

The ballot offers the electorate five votes each for the mayoral race, the London Assembly and the European Parliament.

But with second preferences likely to determine who sits in City Hall, the smaller parties were thrust to centre-stage today as Mr Livingstone, Mr Norris and Simon Hughes pleaded for support.

The Evening Standard's YouGov poll yesterday showed that Mr Livingstone was just two points ahead of Mr Norris in a final run-off among those certain to vote.

Amid the horse-trading, the Labour candidate won the backing of the anti-war Respect party and some leading Greens. But his Tory rival received a boost when UK Independence Party candidate Frank Maloney called on his supporters to use their second vote for Mr Norris.

As the hours ticked away, thousands of Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat activists hit the streets to ensure pledges of support were turned into actual votes.

Newspaper adverts pleaded with electors to use their second vote, while an alliance of trade unions pointed out Mr Norris's link to controversial rail firm Jarvis.

Mr Livingstone last night went on a walkabout in Soho's Old Compton Street to galvanise lesbian and gay Londoners, and visited the East London mosque, where he urged Muslims to vote.

He also held talks with Respect candidate Lindsey German about securing the backing of her supporters. Although the anti-war party can only count on 5,000 supporters in the capital, their votes could tip the balance.

A spokesman for Respect said it was a "pragmatic" decision. "We have no qualms about this at all, Ken has been utterly anti-war."

Meanwhile Mr Norris took to the phones to encourage people returning from work to go the polls before they close at 10pm.

The frenzy of activity comes as bookmaker William Hill cut the odds on a Norris victory, moving the Tory candidate from 15/2 to 6/1. Mr Livingstone remains the favourite at 1/12, while Simon Hughes has dropped to 18/1.